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Nadal Wins 27th Straight on Clay; Up Next Robredo
ATP Tennis.com
June 8th, 2005
Two Spaniards and two Czechs clinched semifinal berths in Bastad on Friday.
Top seeded Rafael Nadal continued his supremacy on clay by defeating former World No.1 Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-3, 6-3. Nadal has now won his last 27 matches on clay, and he is looking for his seventh title of the year.
Nadal next faces countryman Tommy Robredo who advanced to the semifinal after a hard fought win against Russian Mikhail Youzhny 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. Robredo and Nadal have never met in an ATP event.
In the bottom half of the draw, the Czech Republic�s Jiri Vanek will also play a countryman, Tomas Berdych. Vanek guaranteed his spot in the semifinal after defeating Spaniard Oscar Hernandez 6-4, 6-2. Vanek�s semifinal appearance marks his best result of the season. In the first round Vanek upset No. 2 seed Joachim Johansson. Going into the tournament he had only won one ATP tour match all season long.
Berdych also had not played his best tennis thus far this season. The Czech had only reached the third round at Wimbledon, and his semifinal appearance in Bastad is also a season best. To reach the semis, Berdych defeated two-time defending champion Mariano Zabaleta 6-3, 6-2.
Berdych and Vanek have only met once previously when Berdych won 6-3, 6-3 in a challenger event last year in Germany.
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